SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics, including spoofed phone numbers and impersonations of law enforcement officers, to defraud people.
Locally, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office has seen a surge in "warrant scams," where scammers pose as law enforcement officers and call victims claiming they missed jury duty, have an outstanding warrant, or owe fines—and will be arrested if they don’t pay.
In one recent case, a local woman named Ashley received a call from someone claiming to be with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, stating she had failed to appear for jury duty.
“So now you have two charges against you,” Ashley recalled the scammer saying. “One for contempt of court and one for withholding evidence. So obviously I was terrified.”
At first, the call seemed convincing—until the scammer used Ashley’s maiden name.
“Excuse me, I've been married for a while now. Why did you just call me by my maiden name?” she asked. “And he said, ‘They're very similar. That might have just been a typo.’ I thought it was a typo.”
The scam escalated when the caller instructed her to withdraw $5,000 and post bail at a specific location in Goleta, but mispronounced the city's name—a red flag for Ashley.
“Sergeant, excuse me, how long have you worked in the county?” she asked.
“And he said ten-plus years, which matched what I found on his LinkedIn profile that I had Googled while speaking to him.”
Ashley continued questioning the caller, and soon realized the judge overseeing the alleged case was her own aunt. She immediately texted her.
“I am so sorry, I didn’t know I was supposed to appear in your court on August 8 or whatever it was at 9 a.m. Is this real?” she asked.
“She said, ‘I didn’t have court that day.’ And I said, ‘Someone told me I am in contempt of court for not coming to your courtroom as an expert witness.’ And she said, ‘Hang up the phone immediately. This is a scam.’”
Kristina Perkins, chief investigator with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, shared Ashley's story on her weekly podcast Scam Squad.
“These scammers are getting more sophisticated,” Perkins said. “They spoof phone numbers to make it look like a legitimate call from the Sheriff’s Office. They keep you on the line and coach you through withdrawing money and handing it over.”
Perkins advises residents to hang up immediately if they receive a call demanding payment for missed jury duty or an arrest warrant.
“Law enforcement will never call and demand money over the phone,” she said. “If you’re unsure, look up the verified phone number of the Sheriff’s Department and call them directly to check.”
State data shows that scams are affecting all age groups, with nearly half of scam victims under age 20 reporting financial losses. Seniors over 80 lose the most money on average.
Perkins encourages all scam victims to report the crime—even if they feel embarrassed.
“Please don’t be ashamed,” she said. “Anyone can be a victim. Reporting helps us stop it from happening to someone else.”
To report a scam, call the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Scam Hotline at 805-568-2442.
Santa Barbara County Warns of Sophisticated Jury Duty Scam News Channel 3-12.
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